‘Pasta Salad’ starts with basics

Here are two little words destined to make low-carb dieters weak-kneed, dizzy and begging for more:

Pasta salad.

That perfect combo of noodles, dressing, veggies and sometimes meat or seafood is strictly verboten for followers of Atkins and similar diets. If you’re in that category, then Barbara Lauterbach’s beautifully photographed cookbook “Pasta Salad” is akin to a drug dealer pushing crack on a recovering addict. You’ll want to stay away. Far away.

But that’s OK. That just means there will be more Orzo Primavera Salad and Dan’s Retro Macaroni Salad for the rest of us at the next potluck.

Lauterbach starts with the basics, outlining the differences in popular noodle and pasta shapes and detailing the proper way to cook pasta for a salad (use a large pot, bring water to rolling boil, add salt, cook just to al dente). She also includes recipes for common salad ingredients such as vinaigrette and mayonnaise as well as instructions on roasting and blanching vegetables.

She offers an extensive selection of vegetarian pasta salads, from the wintry Orecchiette and Roasted Butternut Squash with Honey-Ginger Dressing to the springtime crunch of Fusilli Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Roasted Peppers. Then there are chapters on meat and poultry pasta salads, along with seafood salads. Finally, she includes an array of recipes from family and friends, including the simple Endeavor Cafe Pasta Salad and the flavor-packed Wendy’s Rotini and Smoked Salmon with Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette.

The recipes in “Pasta Salad” are tailor-made for busy cooks. Most don’t take long to prepare but, beyond that, they can all be made well ahead of serving. And, in many cases, the dishes taste better after they’ve had the chance to sit for a bit.

Her recipes take full advantage of each season’s fresh vegetables — squash, peas, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes — combined with other easy-to-find ingredients.

They are simple, yet creative combinations, which can be used as a template for your own recipes. Can’t find ditalini? Use macaroni. Don’t like broccoli? Leave it out. Worried about fat? Cut back on the oil.

The one thing you can’t omit is the pasta. So tell your Atkins friends to gnaw on yet another piece of meat while you scoop up their helpings of pasta salad.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken

4 ounces Asian rice noodles

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast

1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced

1 English cucumber, peeled and shredded (use the large holes on a box-type grater)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, including tender green tops

1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing:

1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons tamari (a Japanese soy sauce, available in the Asian section of many supermarkets)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons chicken broth (see note)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Break the noodles in half and cook according to the directions on the package. Do not overcook. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under cold water. Shake the colander gently to drain completely. Toss with the 1 tablespoon sesame oil and set aside.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, honey, tamari, the 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the chicken broth and the red pepper flakes. (This may also be done in a food processor or a blender.) The dressing should have the consistency of syrup. (Note: We added a few more tablespoons of broth to thin the dressing.)

Place the noodles on a large platter and pour two-thirds of the dressing over them. Toss gently but thoroughly. When the noodles are coated with the dressing, arrange the chicken, bell pepper, cucumber and green onions on top of the noodles. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the salad. Pour the remaining dressing over all.

Serve at once, or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 394 calories, 21 grams fat (3.7 grams saturated, 48 percent fat calories), 19 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrate, 24 milligrams cholesterol, 6.6 grams dietary fiber, 684 milligrams sodium.

Pepperoni Pizza Salad

8 ounces ditalini or other small, tubular pasta

4 ounces pepperoni sausage, cut into slices, then the slices quartered

1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup fresh white mushrooms, thinly slices

1/2 cup pitted black olives, thinly sliced

8 ounces mozzarella

Dressing:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cool the pasta according to the directions on the package for al dente. Drain into a colander and rinse briefly under cold running water. Shake the colander gently to drain completely. Set aside.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the anchovy paste, if using, garlic and oregano. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until an emulsion forms.

Place the pasta, pepperoni, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and mozzarella in a large serving bowl. (We used a 9- by 13-inch pan.) Toss together gently. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss again, gently but thoroughly. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 499 calories, 29.6 grams fat (9 gram saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 20 grams carbohydrate, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 2.3 grams dietary fiber, 749 milligrams sodium.